Thumbnail Image
Publication

Do Voters Have a Duty to Promote the Common Good? A Comment on Brennan’s The Ethics of Voting

Holcombe, Randall G
Author(s)
Holcombe, Randall G
Author(s) (Additional)
Illustrator(s)
Producer(s)
Contributor(s)
Contributor(s) (Other)
Editor(s)
Advisor(s)
Contact(s)
Data Collector(s)
Keywords
The Ethics of Voting
Brennan’s thesis
ethical responsibility
political ethics
GE Subjects
Political ethics
Ethics of political systems
Methods of ethics
Theological ethics
Philosophical ethics
Collections
Elections and Ethics
Show all metadata
Files
Thumbnail Image
rp3.pdf
Adobe PDF, 158.67 KB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/206981
Online Access
Abstract
Jason Brennan, in The Ethics of Voting, argues that citizens do not have a duty to vote, but if they do vote, they have a duty to cast their vote to promote the common good. Adam Smith says, “I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.” In the context of Brennan’s book one is justified in asking whether Smith’s observation about trade also applies to voting, in which case Smith’s observation would appear to be directly relevant to Brennan’s thesis. Brennan does make the argument that Smith’s invisible hand applies to markets, but says nothing about voting, leaving open the possibility that Brennan’s thesis could remain correct regarding voting, even if Smith’s observation is correct that not much good comes from those who claim to trade to promote the public good.
Note(s)
Topic
Type
Article
Date
2013
Identifier
ISBN
DOI
Copyright/License
With permission of the license/copyright holder
Embedded videos